Delhi Daredevils will be hoping to start off the second leg of the Indian Premier League on a high when they take on Rajasthan Royals in Delhi on Saturday. Catch all the updates here....
Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals clash in their first game of the second leg of the Indian Premier League in Delhi (Points Table | Full Schedule):
PREVIEW
After a topsy-turvy run in the UAE, Delhi Daredevils would look to kick off their India leg on a positive note when they clash with a resurgent Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here on Saturday.
Out of five matches, Delhi won just two against Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, while Rajasthan have three victories to show after which they are lying at the third place in the points table.
Both the teams, however, will take a lot of confidence from their comprehensive victories in their last match of the UAE leg.
While Delhi notched up a six-wicket win over Mumbai last Sunday, Rajasthan showed nerves of steel to edge out Kolkata via the Super over and the two teams will look to outwit each other.
For Delhi, JP Duminy and Murali Vijay have been among the runs, while Dinesh Karthik too has a half-century to show. But a lot will be expected from the rest of the batsmen such as opener Quinton de Kock, Ross Taylor and captain Kevin Pietersen.
For the bowlers, pacer Jaydev Unadkat and spinner Shahbaz Nadeem have taken six and four wickets, respectively so far but the Daredevils will need other bowlers to fire as well.
Skipper Pietersen will want their pacers Mohammad Shami and Wayne Parnell to step up their performance but Delhi also need someone to support Nadeem at the spin department, considering the fact that Duminy has not been successful with his off-breaks. (Read full Preview)
PIETERSEN IN LOVE WITH DELHI METRO
Kevin Pietersen is mighty pleased with Delhi Metro. The Delhi Daredevils captain posted a picture of Delhi's 'Tube' in his twitter account saying how it made life easy to travel in a bustling city where traffic jams are very common.
Former England star Pietersen, wrote on his twitter: "On the Delhi Metro to our home ground...brilliant way to travel to avoid traffic! The Delhi team was on its way to Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi's home ground for the Indian Premier League. The Indian leg of the IPL starts in Ranchi on Friday with Kolkata Knight Riders taking on Chennai Super Kings.
Delhi open their Indian leg with a match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday evening. Currently seventh in the eight-team table with two wins from five matches in UAE, Delhi will surely look for 'home' advantage. Pietersen, who missed Delhi's initial games due to injury, also has to justify his Rs 9-crore price tag. (Read full story)
DRAVID PRAISES RAJASTHAN'S WIN OVER KOLKATA
Rajasthan Royals mentor Rahul Dravid feels that to come up trumps in a thrilling 'Super Over' finish is a "huge step forward" towards getting the team together for a common goal which is to win the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League.
"Last night's win was a huge step forward for the team. A win like this works wonders for the team spirit and bonding. The best part about the UAE leg is the fact that we have won more matches (three) than we have lost (two)," Dravid told mediapersons during a promotional event in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The performance in the UAE leg will be a great confidence booster as they now head into the India leg of the tournament.
"We have played some very good cricket in the UAE and that keeps us in good stead. We now head into the India leg where the competition will be equally tough as all teams are evenly matched."
The former India captain and Test stalwart tried to look at the positive aspect of playing the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera after BCCI ruled out their home ground Sawai Man Singh Stadium (SMS), a venue that had turned into a virtual fortress for the Royals where they did not lose a single home match last year.
"We really had a good time in Jaipur -- on and off the field. We were able to create a huge fan base and people out there were very nice and warm. Ahmedabad certainly will be different but we hope to have an equally good time there too. I myself have played a lot of cricket there. Hopefully, we will have 'two nice homes' now," the 41-year-old tried to look at the positives. (Read full story)
Story first published on: Saturday, 03 May 2014 16:03
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